


Pink & Blue (Me & You)

by autumndark



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M, fluff and first meetings, gratuitous use of instagram
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-04-30 20:53:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14505267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumndark/pseuds/autumndark
Summary: A mix-up in a product that he’d ordered online leaves Daniel chasing after a boy over Instagram in order to get him to agree to meet-up and exchange items.The only problem is that Park Jihoon is stubborn and he isn’t going to make this easy for Daniel.





	Pink & Blue (Me & You)

**Author's Note:**

> written for the Starboy ficfest, based on the following prompt:
> 
> "daniel buys a pair of limited edition sneakers. only two pairs are released in every country - one with blue laces and one with pink. his pair arrives with mismatched laces. now he has to find the guy who bought the first pair and convince him to hand over the second blue lace in exchange for the pink lace daniel got. the guy's name is jihoon, and he likes his shoes with both blue and pink laces.”
> 
> happy 20th birthday park jihoon! ♥♥♥

Daniel wakes up to the feeling of something warm and soft poking gently at his face. 

Shifting in his blankets, he scrunches up his nose as the sensation travels down his neck and makes its way towards his chest, tickling at the exposed skin on his collarbones. Confused, he pops open an eyelid and sees Rooney raising a paw, poised and ready to start batting at her human’s ear.

Smiling adoringly at the little creature, Daniel scoops up the orange cat into his arms and holds her close to his chest, burying himself back into his warm blanket and curling up contently. 

University classes do not begin until next month and his dance club is not meeting up today, so Daniel luxuriates in the knowledge that he can sleep in today. 

Sighing blissfully, Daniel begins to drift off to sleep when the doorbell rings out jarringly.

He tries to ignore it, but it rings two more times before whomever is at his doorstep gets impatient and starts knocking on the door itself.

Annoyed, Daniel rolls onto his back, letting Rooney go free, and kicks off his covers. He gets up and makes his way to the door with bleary eyes, carefully avoiding stepping on Peter, who is sleeping curled up in a ball on the floor by the bed.

It is a lazy Sunday morning, so Daniel is dressed in his pajamas and is armed with a terrible case of bedhead, hair sticking up in all directions. It seems that his morning visitor will simply have to deal with his messy appearance.

Groggily, Daniel throws open the door only to find that no-one is there.

 _What?_

He scratches his head and leans heavily into the doorframe. 

Did he imagine the knocking?

Bemused, Daniel spins around to go back inside his apartment when his foot nudges against something. Looking down, he realises that there a small box on the floor, emblazoned with the name of his favourite shoe company, _Produce 101_ , on the side.

Perking up instantly, he bends down and picks up the shoebox excitedly before slipping back inside.

 _It’s his shoes!_

His limited edition, two-of-a-kind, Wanna One shoes.

Suddenly, Daniel feels fully awake.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Last week, after coming back home from a satisfying dinner with his dance crew, Daniel had been idly shopping online on his laptop when he stumbled upon an unread email from _Produce 101_ promoting their newest range of shoes going up for sale at midnight.

A special sneaker collection for men, the website had said, featuring a unique grey and blue design with only 2 pairs available in South Korea, and 101 pairs worldwide. 

Instantly, Daniel had found himself intrigued at the tagline, ever the sucker for unique or limited edition items, to his wallet’s chagrin.

With a growing interest, Daniel followed the links and saw that they were offering the  _Wanna One_  sneaker range in both a 270mm sized pair that came with pink shoelaces and a 280mm pair with blue laces. 

The pair with blue laces were exactly his style and size so when his laptop clock ticked over to 12am, Daniel instantly purchased them without second thought.

It was only after the email confirming his transaction had come in did Daniel actually think to check the price.

 _1,000,000 won._

Placing his head in his hands, Daniel sends a text to his dance groupchat.

  
  
**Get Ugly (4)**

  
**defdanik:**    
remind me to never allow u guys to let me drink so much again

**defdanik:**    
i think i made a bad purchase decision omfg  


**ong:**    
i just drink with you buddy i dont make you do anything

**ong:**    
you just cant resist the call of that sweet sweet alcohol

**ong:**    
honestly same

**chamsae:**    
lmfao hyung what did you buy more cat stuff???

**defdanik:**    
i spent 1000000w on a pair of shoes

**samuel16:**    
OH MY GOD

 **samuel16:**    
OH. MY GOD.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Still outfitted in his crumpled pajamas, Daniel brings the box to his table and sets about unboxing it. Getting out his phone, he takes several photos of the shoebox first to upload on his Instagram, from the top and the side, before he lifts the lid off.

Half of the joy of making expensive and often unnecessary purchases is the anticipation anyway, so Daniel takes his time unwrapping the tissue paper and reading the little card that came with the shoes before he gets to the actual shoes themselves.

That is when he notices something strange.

First of all, the shoes are gorgeous; they are made of a sturdy material that is also soft and pliable, with the outside coloured a soft grey highlighted by blue and white trimming, and a thick, black sole with an electric blue line design. 

The problem is that the shoelaces that they have sent him do not match at all.

The right shoe has the correct blue shoelaces that complement the shoe’s design and look like they did in the picture when he had ordered online. However, the left shoe has _pink_  shoelaces that not only do not match the rest of the shoe’s colour scheme, but also they do not match the right shoe either. 

Scrunching up the side of his mouth in disgruntlement, Daniel decides that he cannot wear them out like that - it would look ridiculous. 

He sets the shoes down and goes to dig out the card he had found earlier so that he can call _Produce 101_ and inform them about the mix-up.

He spends close to 10 minutes being put on hold until the line finally clicks and a staff from the company explains in an unapologetic voice that although they are sorry about the error, they cannot fix it for him since the shoes really are ‘one of a kind’ and therefore his best bet is to track down where the other pair went. The staff then offers him a measly 10,000 won discount code on his next purchase and wishes him ‘good luck’ before promptly hanging up. 

Somewhat desperately, Daniel even tries contacting _Produce 101’s_ parent company, _Mnet_ , but that proves to be even more futile because the employee there simply tells him to find the owner of the other pair and when Daniel asks if they can give him the other person’s contact details, he finds himself talking to a dial tone.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


On Monday, Daniel meets up for lunch with a couple of his friends from university and asks them what they think he should do.

“Niel-ah, did you really spend your monthly allowance on one pair of shoes?” inquires Jisung, absentmindedly using his fork to push his salad aimlessly around his plate.

“And a bit of my savings, but I have a lot of savings so it’s okay!” Daniel reassures his friend as Jisung hums sceptically, looking like he wants to lecture Daniel about proper spending habits.

“Dude,” cuts in Jaehwan, saving Daniel from Jisung’s nagging. Jaehwan continues, chewing messily around his egg sandwich. “I don’t get why you don’t just like, buy a pack of your own blue laces. Problem solved.” 

Looking affronted, Daniel replies “It’s not the same! Those are special shoes so the shoelaces are special too! They have like, glow-in-the-dark bits and stuff!” When none of his friends seem sufficiently impressed by this feature, he reasons in a more calm tone. "Also, it’s the principle of it. I paid for those blue shoelaces so I should get what’s mine.” 

Daniel pauses and watches as Jisung and Minhyun share a look with each other over their food. Jaehwan appears to have lost interest in the issue and is entirely focused on tearing apart his sandwich with his fingers. 

Sniffing childishly, Daniel adds on “Somewhere out there is some other guy who bought the pink pair and would want to get what he paid for too. I’m doing us both a favour.”

Finally, Minhyun makes an attempt at actually being helpful and offers a suggestion. 

“You said you can’t get in contact with that person with the pink pair, right?” says the older man, tapping a finger on his cheek thoughtfully. "Have you tried posting about it online? Maybe he wants to find you too.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It turns out that whoever ‘pink shoelaces guy' is, he is not trying to find Daniel either because Daniel spends the rest of his week trolling through various online forums and communities but finds nothing. 

Just as he’s about to give up and call  _Mnet again_ to try and guilt-trip them into spilling the other guy’s details, Daniel’s phone lights up.

 

 **Big Woojin:**  
hey hyung i have something youre probably really interested in

  
**Me:**  
?????  


**Big Woojin:**  
you owe me lunch or something  
https://www.instagram.com/jijiji529

  
**Me:**  
????????????????

**Me:**  
why  
why should i click on this  
is it cat pics?  


**Big Woojin:**  
i know someone who follows this kid   
check out the last pic he uploaded

  
**Me:**  
!!!!!!!  


**Big Woojin:**  
i want pizza

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


When Daniel checks out Instagram user _JiJiJi529’s_ page, the latest image posted is a shot of the boy’s distinct  _Wanna One_  shoes, which are blue and grey with a black sole, highlighted by  _pink_ line designs, and clearly one _pink_ shoelace and one _blue_ shoelace.

Quickly, Daniel follows the account and sends  _JiJiJi529_ a message, telling him that he has the other pair of _Wanna One_ shoes and that they should meet up to switch shoes.

While he waits for a reply, Daniel scrolls through the kid’s account.

The boy does not have that many pictures uploaded and it appears that he seems to mostly update sporadically, but there are no photos of the boy himself or personal information of any kind. 

Not even one selca or a name. 

That is a bit odd since when Daniel scrolls back up to the top, he sees that  _JiJiJi529_ has a surprisingly large number of followers for someone that does not post much. Almost two-thirds of Daniel’s own follower count except that Daniel posts a lot of personal pictures and videos of himself dancing. Between the short clips of b-boy stunts or the regularly scheduled cat posts, there is bound to be something that people are interested in.

By the time he scrolls all the way to the bottom of the page again, the kid still has not replied so Daniel logs off for now and assumes that he is not online at the moment.

Daniel will just have to wait.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


It has been over a week and the kid still has not replied. Restless, Daniel had sent another message after 3 days but still received no response.

It is irritating, because Daniel knows that JiJiJi must have read his messages since the boy had uploaded a new picture throughout the week (a photo of a small dog that looked cute so Daniel had left a _Like_ ) but he had chosen to ignore them. 

Even now, when Daniel is out with Jisung and Seongwoo, he still finds himself wondering about it in the back of his mind and is currently considering spamming JiJiJi’s inbox with messages.

“Hey Niel-ah, what do you want to order?” asks Seongwoo, flipping through the menu.

The three of them are sitting inside a burger joint that they commonly frequent; partly because the beer is cheap but also mostly because Jisung somehow still has an employee discount even though it has already been 2 years since the eldest quit working here.

“Daniel!” shouts Seongwoo, pelting Daniel with little ketchup packets until he gets his attention. "Dude, are you alive in there?” 

Waving him off, Daniel just mutters _‘the usual’_ under his breath and continues to stare blankly at his phone’s lockscreen.

“Are you still thinking about the Jiji person?” presses Jisung, leaning over to peer at Daniel’s iPhone.

“It’s JiJiJi,” corrects Daniel, unlocking the screen and tapping on the Instagram app, verifying that his inbox remains devoid of any new messages. He then, in true _Kang Choding_ fashion, begins to whine at Jisung, “Why doesn’t he want to give them back when he bought the pink pair? Why does he want mine, that’s so unfair!”

With the patience of a long-time friend used to dealing with his antics, Jisung calmly shifts Daniel’s drink out of the way before Daniel accidentally knocks it over with his squirming.

“Isn’t he just a kid? You’re probably scaring him with how _intense_ you’re being.” says Jisung.

Huffing, Daniel responds with a pout. “I’m not scary, I’m nice.”

Ever the opportunist, Seongwoo cheerfully cuts in, “If you’re so nice, do you want to pay for my burger?”

“No, pay for it yourself.” Daniel laughs before gesturing down at his feet where he has on his _Wanna One_ shoes today. “I still have to save up after blowing a million won on these anyway.”

Seongwoo peers down at them and comments “It’s a shame you don’t have your pink hair anymore, they’d match pretty well.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


After their burgers had arrived and been quickly wolfed down, Daniel is still lost in his own head while he scrolls through Instagram user _JiJiJi529_ ’s feed. 

 _I wonder what this kid is like. Maybe Jisung-hyung is right and he’s scared of me or something._

“Are you still on that kid’s Instagram? Still?” exclaims Seongwoo, sprawling out on the table and throwing his limbs akimbo as he gestures. “Wow, I’m friends with a stalker.”

“Oh, hush.” chides Jisung, although he agrees anyway. “You should just leave that kid alone. Do you even know how old he is? You could be harassing a little kid.”

Daniel crumples up his face in response, sending Jisung an affronted look before turning his attention back to his phone.

“Nah, he’s not a kid. I’m sure of it.” replies Daniel, fingers busily flicking through the boy’s photo feed. "He has a SOPA high school uniform in the background of some of his pics, you know, that really yellow one? But those are from like, half a year ago and haven’t shown up since."

Jisung sets down his drink and clears his throat. “The fact that you know that off the top of your head is surprising. You’re kind of obsessed at this point.”

Stopping to enlarge a photo of a stuffed toy keychain, Daniel replies “Obsessed is a strong word, hyung. I’m just really curious about him. And like, I guess I think about him a lot?” he adds on, voice pitching up in uncertainty at the end of the sentence.

“Sounds pretty obsessed to me.” comments Jisung, enlarging his eyes and sending Daniel an exaggerated judgemental look.

"Maybe he’s graduated.” continues Daniel, shaking off the older man’s scrutiny and finally setting down his phone. Piping up excitedly, he asks “Hey, do you think he goes to our uni?”

“Our uni?” repeats Seongwoo, pausing with a chip clutched in his hand in mid-air to laugh at his friend. “You sure that’s not just wishful thinking?”

Leaning in, Jisung stage-whispers to Daniel “What’s wishful thinking is Seongwoo believing that even if he never makes a move, Minhyun will magically-“ 

Jisung gets cut off before he can finish by Seongwoo throwing his chip at him and engaging the elder in a slap fight, sending Daniel into a giggle fit that causes one of the waiting staff to cast a judgemental look towards their table.

Smiling and waving apologetically, the trio quieten down and return to their seats.

Daniel is contemplating ordering a third drink when his phone chimes with a little pop-up on the screen.

Taking a glance at the screen, Jisung asks “You have the kid on notification?” as Seongwoo mimes a small gesture with his hand, mouthing the word _‘whipped’_ at their eldest.

Checking the Instagram app, Daniel finds that JiJiJi has posted an appetising-looking photo of a rice burger in front of a wall with a caption.

  


**JiJiJi529**  
[ Ate this yesterday. Was pretty good, will probably be back! ]

  


Squinting down at the phone in his hand, Daniel cranes his neck around to peer at the past his friends to the back area of the cafe. His gaze bounces back and forth between the wall and his phone screen before confirming that the soft purple lighting and the shelf of miniature plants is indeed the same as the background of the photo.

“Guys,” says Daniel urgently, holding his phone up for the others to see, “doesn’t this look like it was taken here? Maybe he is in this area too."

Humming thoughtfully, Seongwoo holds a hand on his chin and offers a suggestion.

“One of Woojin’s friends goes to SOPA, doesn’t he? Perhaps you can ask him if he knows the kid.”

“Oh yeah,” adds Jisung quickly in agreement, “wasn’t that how you got his Instagram info in the first place? Just ask him!”

Staring at the latest photo, Daniel cannot help but think that the glimpse of the boy’s hand included in the shot looks rather cute; his rounded fingers curling around the burger. 

 _How am I supposed to find you?_

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Park Woojin does end up exploiting more free food out of Daniel in exchange for giving him the details of his SOPA-attending friend, but Daniel is desperate enough to agree to the younger’s demands at this point.

Sufficiently mollified by the promise of a month’s worth of pizza, Woojin gives him the contact information of kid in Grade 11 whom he apparently met through some mutual friends. 

  
**Me:**  
hello im daniel! idk how much woojin told u but he gave me ur number so that u   
could help me with something

i hope im not bothering u too much hahaha  


**Lee Daehwi (Woojin’s friend):**  
Hi!! ( ^ ▽ ^)ツ No that’s fine! I heard about your situation and I’m happy to help!

I’ll do anything for young love! (ง •̀_•́)ง

  
**Me:**  
oh thank u so much! thats so nice of u, i basically had to bribe woojin for   
ur number lol

but its really not like that

im just trying to find him so i can confront him ahaha  


**Lee Daehwi (Woojin’s friend):**  
Say no more! I’ll take care of Woojin for you~~~ 

I’ve been invested in this ever since I first gave you Jihoon-sunbae’s instagram!

  
**Me:**  
his name is jihoon?  


**Lee Daehwi (Woojin’s friend):**  
Yes~ You didn’t know? His name is Park Jihoon! He’s quite famous in school owo

You’re searching for him right? I wasn’t that close to him before he graduated but   
I can ask around and find out where he is now!

  
**Me:**  
omg thats so helpful thank u so much daehwi! ur the best wow

if woojin ever bullies u lemme know and ill handle him for u  


**Lee Daehwi (Woojin’s friend):**  
Hahaha, hyung, you can barely handle Woojin for yourself! But not to worry! I’m  
pretty tough myself! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

You will be seeing your Jihoon soon, I’ll make sure of it~! 

 

A few days after their initial exchange, Daehwi informs Daniel that he had asked around and discovered that Jihoon works at a chicken restaurant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, and that this is probably going to be his best opportunity if he wants to catch Jihoon in person without being ignored by the younger boy. 

When Daehwi sends him the address of the store, the younger boy cheerfully mentions that although Jihoon does not post any photos with his face on his Instagram, Daniel should be able to recognise him instantly. 

Understandably confused, Daniel questions how he can be so confident about that.

 

  
**Me:**  
how can u b so sure ill recognise him?? lol

**Lee Daehwi (Woojin’s friend):**  
Trust me, hyung. You’ve never seen his face but you will know when you see him!

Jihoon-sunbae is super pretty! He will be the first person that your eyes land on~~~ 

I’m so sure about this that I will pay for Woojin-hyung’s pizza if I’m wrong, I swear!  
(ಥ_ಥ)

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Daniel visits Jihoon’s workplace on a Friday.

When he walks in, the place is bustling with customers even though it is relatively early in the evening, technically it could even be classified as the late afternoon. 

Pausing at the entrance, Daniel takes a cursory glance around the restaurant. 

There is a row of quaint, little booths that line both sides of the walls and wooden tables have been placed in the centre area to cater for larger groups. Overall, the place feels comfortable and clean, and Daniel can see why it would be popular with younger crowds.

Roaming his eyes over the faces of the wait staff as they walk around, Daniel wonders if Daehwi was a little too confident in his description. 

Over by the bar counter are two waiters collecting drinks that look around Jihoon’s age and whose faces are both what Daniel would objectively consider to be ‘pretty’. 

As they turn around, Daniel squints and catches a glimpse of their name tags as they flash by, making out the words ‘Mark’ and ‘Kangmin’. 

 _Not Jihoon, then._

Sighing lightly, Daniel is about to take out his phone to text Daehwi for more details when he feels a tap on his shoulder.

As he turns around, Daniel thinks that Lee Daehwi was absolutely correct.

This boy is Park Jihoon, he _must_ be, Daniel does not even need to check his name tag to know.

Standing before him is a shorter boy with a youthful, cherub-like face, the angelic aura complemented by a set of large doe-like eyes that seem to sparkle in the glow of the lightbulbs overhead and are fanned by a set of absurdly long eyelashes. The boy - _Jihoon_ , for sure - spreads his cherry-red lips wide in a polite smile and greets Daniel with a smooth, lilting voice.

“Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting. We’re pretty busy on Friday nights. I’ll show you to a table, please come with me.” says Jihoon, waving a hand out for Daniel to follow along.

Trailing his eyes over Jihoon’s attire, Daniel notes that although the younger is outfitted in the standard yellow and black uniform that the other waiters are also wearing, Jihoon is not wearing the same plain black shoes as them. In fact, the younger is wearing a very familiar pair of shoes with mismatched pink and blue laces.

Noticing him staring, Jihoon stops and asks with a challenging expression, “Is there a problem?”

Stunned out of his stupor, Daniel blurts out the first answer that comes to his mind.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

It is the truth, but when stated like that it does not help to explain the situation at all. Daniel panics and tries to stutter out an clarification but the other boy beats him to it.

“I’m sorry?” asks Jihoon, face scrunched up in displeasure. He continues, in a deadpan voice, “If that was meant to be a pick-up line, it’s not working.”

Jihoon’s disgruntled expression is surely meant to be intimidating but Daniel cannot help but think that the shorter resembles a puffy Jigglypuff pokemon right now and has to bite back a giggle fit before he offends Jihoon even further.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant! I’m sorry!” amends Daniel, waving his hands in front of him and attempting to smile sincerely at Jihoon but the effect is ruined by the chuckle that manages to escape anyway. 

Jihoon narrows his eyes so Daniel quickly extends out a hand and points at Jihoon’s shoes.

“Those are the _Wanna One_ shoes, right? I have the other pair but I’m not wearing them today. That’s actually why I’ve been searching for you.” explains Daniel hurriedly, wriggling his toes within his own LAKAI shoes that he had chosen to wear this morning.

“Right, then.” replies Jihoon, dragging out the word and puffing up the side of his cheek skeptically. “In that case, you’ll have to come back some other time with them then.”

The waiter promptly spins around on the spot and starts heading towards the back of the restaurant. 

“Wait! No, hang on!” pleads Daniel, abruptly changing tactics and rushing after the other, placing himself before Jihoon and bodily blocking the younger’s path to the kitchen. 

Plastering on what he hopes is an encouraging smile, Daniel tries “I just want to talk to you. Give me a chance and I’ll explain everything. Please.”

There is a tense silence as Jihoon eyes him up, scrutinising the older boy before coming to a decision and relenting.

“Alright, fine.” says Jihoon, leading Daniel over to a quiet booth in the corner. “You’ll have to wait until after my shift ends.”

Nodding in agreement, Daniel obediently takes a seat and smiles charmingly up at Jihoon.

Unaffected, the younger boy slams down a copy of their menu on the table with a smirk.

“I recommend the fried chicken."

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Less than a week later, Daniel is back and waiting at the chicken restaurant, having made little to no progress the last time he was here.

After Jihoon had left him alone to attend to the dinner rush last Friday, Daniel had sat through a pleasant enough meal (he had taken Jihoon up on his fried chicken recommendation) and idled away two hours playing games on his phone before the manager - a small, pretty-faced man ( _were all the wait staff at this place pretty?_ ) named Sungwoon - chased him out for loitering, telling him that Jihoon had already left for the night.

This time, Daniel is armed with a fierce determination to convince Jihoon to sit down and have a conversation with him. 

He had been thinking about how to approach the younger boy all week and has come to the conclusion that the previous time he was simply too taken aback by Jihoon’s ethereal appearance that he was not expecting. 

 _This time_ , Daniel will not be caught off-guard.

Nodding to himself, he pushes open the restaurant’s door and promptly stops in his tracks.

“Oh, you’re back again.” says Jihoon monotonously in lieu of a proper greeting. He looks a bit awkward about brushing Daniel off last week but does not offer an apology.

Blinking slowly, Daniel stutters out a response. “Um, you changed your hair.”

In place of the soft, auburn brown tresses that Daniel had been imagining in his mind’s eye of the other boy, is an ashy-grey, almost silver, artfully-styled mess of hair resting on Jihoon’s head.

“You noticed?” asks Jihoon, the side of his lips curling up minutely and eyes twinkling playfully.

Without waiting for Daniel to close his gaping open mouth and respond, Jihoon continues, “Anyway, Wednesdays generally aren’t as crowded, but I still have to finish taking care of these tables before I can take my break and talk to you.”

“What if I help you out? Will that make your shift go faster?” asks Daniel, rambling off his thoughts quickly. “I can probably collect things or maybe deliver them as well if that makes things easier for you? I mean, I think I can handle that if it helps.”

Jihoon holds up a hand and chuckles, a pleasant tinkling sound that is equal parts deep and airy. 

“Alright then. Let’s see if you’re as capable as you look.” announces Jihoon with a surprisingly mischievous expression. “Kang Daniel, was it?"

Daniel does not remember telling Jihoon his full name but he nods anyway, crinkling his eyes as he smiles down at the younger boy. 

“Prepare to be impressed, Jihoon."

  
  
  
  
  
  


The booth is the same as Daniel remembers it being when he had sat here and waited last week except that currently, Park Jihoon is sitting opposite him, slowly making his way through a plate of assorted leftover chicken pieces from the kitchen.

“Let’s start over again.” begins Daniel, watching the pretty boy opposite him digging into his food with gusto. “I’m Kang Daniel. Nice to meet you.”

“Park Jihoon.” replies the boy, pausing long enough to give Daniel a nod before returning to his meal.

The way Jihoon eats is somewhat endearing but also rather messy and Daniel finds himself mildly fascinated without realising it.

Shaking his head, Daniel picks up a piece off his own plate and says “Do you remember how I told you that I bought the same Wanna One shoes as you?” 

The younger boy nods off-handedly and looks up expectantly at Daniel.

“Well, I wore my own pair today, see?” continues the older, sticking one of his long legs out of the side of the booth.

Curious, Jihoon leans his head over the edge of the table and looks between his own shoes and the ones that Daniel is wearing before concluding that they are the same pair.

Evidently satisfied with his findings, the smaller boy sits up properly again and asks nonchalantly “You’re right. So?”

“What do you mean ‘so’?” repeats Daniel, fidgeting with the straw in his drink. “You bought the pink pair and I bought the blue pair.”

“Yeah,” agrees Jihoon with a wry smile before tilting his head and maintaining eye contact with Daniel. “So?"

The taller man sprawls himself over the table, bringing his face closer to Jihoon’s, as he rests his elbows on the space between them. As Daniel rests his chin is his palms he scrunches up his face in frustration, looking akin to a disgruntled puppy.

“So I have one blue shoelace and one pink shoelace, and so do you!” whines Daniel, blowing air up at his fringe. 

As Jihoon goes back to eating his chicken, Daniel adds enthusiastically, “We should swap!"

Unperturbed, Jihoon chews on the chicken bone in his hand leisurely before raising his own wrist up, checking the time on his bulky-looking digital wrist-watch.

“Oh look!” he comments blithely, moving to stand up. “My break is up, I’ve gotta go back now. See you!”

“Wait!” shouts Daniel, hurriedly removing himself from the table and shifting back. “Just swap with me first. It’ll only take a minute!”

The pretty boy turns back and slowly approaches Daniel again, leaning into his space before parting his petal-pink lips. 

“I happen to like my shoes with pink and blue laces.” Jihoon comments softly before pulling back and disappearing past a door that says 'Staff Only’.

Frozen in his place, Daniel stays in the position that Jihoon had left him, staring blankly at the restaurant’s kitchen.

He cannot help but feel annoyed and intrigued and excited at the same time. Huffing, Daniel picks himself up off the bench and heads towards the front of the restaurant.

Somehow, the image of Park Jihoon’s face so close to his own lingers even after he has made it all the way back home.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Showing up unannounced at Jihoon’s workplace becomes a part of Daniel’s routine and the other employees have all begun treating Daniel like a regular customer although he mostly loiters around a lot. Even the manager, Sungwoon, has warmed up to him and offers Daniel free drinks despite jokingly chiding him for harassing his waitstaff. 

Today, one of the waitresses, a young girl named Mina, welcomes him cheerfully when she sees him enter and shows him to what has become known as ‘his’ booth. 

“Jihoon should be done soon.” she says with a pleasant smile on her face. “I’ll get you your usual then?”

Nodding, Daniel smiles widely at her and takes a look around the restaurant while he waits. 

In the opposite booth facing him are two younger boys in high school uniforms that Daniel recognises because he has seen them here a couple of times as well. Both of them are tall and incredibly handsome for their age, and one of them whispers something to the other when they notice him. 

The other boy, who has an astonishingly small face, spins around and they both unsubtly stare at his shoes before returning to their conversation.

Ever since his second failed attempt at convincing Jihoon to trade shoelaces with him, Daniel had given in and started wearing the mismatched laces occasionally even though he had initially found it a little bit tacky and embarrassing.

Looking down, he notes that he is wearing his pink and blue laces again today.

At this point, Jihoon arrives with Daniel’s chicken burger and smiles widely when they meet. 

Over the course of Daniel’s weekly visits, the two had bonded over a shared love of gaming and dancing when Jihoon had revealed that he used to be interested in dance before he started focusing on other things. In fact, Daniel would even go as far as to say that the pair were almost friends now however the younger boy was still intentionally being difficult about switching shoelaces.

“Hey, Niel-hyung.” greets Jihoon as he places the food down. His hair is lying soft and flat on his forehead today, and Jihoon’s eyes are enhanced by a pair of wide golden-rimmed glasses. “I can take my break in a few and join you, okay?"

Turning around to leave, Jihoon stops beside the table with the two boys and says hello to them as well. From his seat, Daniel can faintly pick up hints of their conversation if he pays attention.

“Hyung,” says the small-faced boy, “is that your boyfriend? You’re wearing couple shoes today.”

Daniel peers down, realising that Jihoon and him are indeed both wearing the shoes on the same day again. Furrowing his brow, he wonders how many other people had assumed that they were dating because of it.

“Didn’t you notice?” adds the other, taller boy with a slight accent. “They both wore those shoes the other time as well.”

“What are you talking about?” rebuts Jihoon, bowing his head down and hiding behind his fringe. “You pay too much attention to fashion, Kuanlin-ah.”

“But hyung, he comes here and waits for you all the time. We’re not blind.” laughs the first boy, giving Jihoon a light shove on the shoulder.

“Ah, you kids.” sighs Jihoon, scurrying away while he can. “You know I don’t have a boyfriend.”

As Jihoon passes by, Daniel spies the smallest quirk of his lips on the boy’s flushed face.

 _Cute._

  
  
  
  
  
  


With his phone pressed up against his ear, Daniel watches as Jihoon approaches his table after finishing his shift just as Daniel is about to end his own conversation.

“Ah so you’re at the restaurant again huh? How many times is that now?” comes Ong Seongwoo’s sarcastic voice through the tinny speaker.

“What are you trying to imply, Seongwoo-hyung.” he chuckles, nodding at Jihoon as the younger slides into the opposite seat.

“Oh nothing, have fun visiting your boyfriend then.” teases Seongwoo, barking out a laugh directly into Daniel’s ear.

“I’m not visiting my boyfriend.” explains Daniel, rolling his eyes. Shifting in his seat, he adds “At least I’m actually making progress, hyung, unlike you and Minhyun-hyung.” 

Sputtering out a denial, Seongwoo hangs up first before Daniel can press him any further. Shaking his head with a fond smile, Daniel puts away his phone. 

“Hi, Jihoonie. How was your shift?” asks Daniel, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiles across at him.

The younger mumbles out an half-hearted response. “It was okay, I suppose.”

Several minutes pass with Daniel making idle chit-chat, jumping from one topic to another; things that would usually spark Jihoon’s attention but today the other boy seems sullen and disinterested in engaging in much conversation.

Daniel giggles his way through a story of how Jaehwan had accidentally insulted their lecturer outside of class without realising that the man was standing behind them in line and got on the professor’s bad side for the rest of the semester.

Without waiting for Daniel to get his laughter under control, Jihoon voices in a low voice, “Aren’t you going to ask me about the shoelaces?”

Ever since the pair had begun essentially eating together during their meet-ups, Daniel had stopped pressuring Jihoon to switch shoelaces with him and instead these days he only asked the question as more of a perfunctory act in between talks about other subjects.

Raising his eyebrows in bemusement, Daniel asks “Oh? What makes you say that?” He lets out a chuckle and adds with a cheeky smile “Are you _finally_ planning on giving me back my shoelace?”

“It’s just,” starts Jihoon hesitantly, chewing on his lower lip, “I feel kind of bad for wasting your time like this. Especially if you could be hanging out with your boyfriend instead. Sorry, I didn’t realise.”

Shrinking down in his seat, Jihoon raises a hand to the back of his head, patting down his hair self-consciously as Daniel stares at him in surprise.

Processing the younger boy’s words, Daniel finally says “What? But I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Pausing, he watches as Jihoon perks his head up, gaping at Daniel’s statement.

“Besides, this isn’t really a waste of time. I mean, hanging out with you is fun. I like your company.” confides Daniel sincerely, his voice and smile both gentle as he reaches over to pat Jihoon’s hand lying lax on the table.

“Oh.” whispers Jihoon, looking down at the contact on his hand, uncharacteristically shy.

“Also, I get free food.” jokes Daniel, pulling his hand back to pat at his stomach shamelessly, startling a laugh out of Jihoon. Pleased at successfully improving Jihoon’s mood, Daniel adds in a more serious voice. “Really though, I don’t mind.”

He kicks his foot forwards lightly, delivering a soft tap to Jihoon’s foot underneath the table.

“I’ll keep coming back even if you _still_ refuse to give me back what’s mine.” Daniel says with a foolish grin stretching across his lips unrestrained.

Jihoon blinks slowly and then nods, a matching grin mirrored on his face.

“For the shoes.” says Jihoon, nudging his foot against Daniel’s casually.

It is a flimsy excuse and they both know it but neither of them are going to point it out.

“Right. The shoes.” repeats Daniel.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Daniel arrives later than usual tonight, past the time that Jihoon usually takes his break and closer to the end of his shift.

“Ohh, Daniel, you’re late today.” tuts Sungwoon when he notices Daniel standing near the entrance. With a loud laugh, he leans in and shares conspiringly “I think our little Jihoonie was getting worried that you weren’t going to show up!"

Smiling good-naturedly, Daniel denies “Nah, I wouldn’t do that."

“Actually, he might be done for the day soon.” says Sungwoon, humming contemplatively as he voices his thoughts out loud. “You can just head to your regular booth.” mentions the manager, pointing to the corner of the restaurant.

“No, that’s okay. I’d rather wait for Jihoon here today, if that’s alright.” explains Daniel, slipping his hands into his pockets and fidgeting on the spot.

Sungwoon pins him with a suspicious stare that Daniel is used to being on the receiving end of from Jisung before nodding slowly. “Alright. Suit yourself then.”

Conversation over, the shorter man whisks himself away to attend to the bar, leaving Daniel standing alone. Fortunately, he does not have to wait long for Jihoon to show up.

Daniel is halfway through his second song on a phone rhythm game, fingers tapping away in concentration, when Jihoon appears and pokes his shoulder from behind.

“You’re late, Niel-hyung.” accuses Jihoon, puffing up his cheeks and crossing his arms in front of him in over-exaggerated, fake anger.

“I’m so sorry, please forgive me, Jihoonie.” pleads Daniel, clutching his chest with one hand and playing along. “Let me make it up to you and take you out for barbecue.”

Taken aback, Jihoon clarifies “What? Like, right now?” 

“Yeah, my treat.” confirms Daniel with a smile, putting away his phone and facing Jihoon properly.

Assessing his expression, Jihoon comments “You’re serious.”

Nodding his head, Daniel explains “I was planning on asking you anyway, that’s why I was waiting here first.” He chuckles and tilts his head to the side as he smiles down at Jihoon. "I mean, I know you love chicken, but perhaps a change of scenery might be nice?”

“Oh.” Jihoon says finally. “So like a date then?”

“Yeah, kinda.” replies Daniel with a shrug, a hint of nervousness bleeding into his tone.

“A date, huh.” comments Jihoon to himself, facial expression revealing nothing. 

Eventually, he smiles and assuages Daniels rising worries that he had misread the signs. 

“Okay, I’ll let you take me out.” comments Jihoon softly. "Just let me get changed out of my uniform and then we can go."

  
  
  
  
  
  


The atmosphere of the barbecue place is lively and bustling with laughter, and by the end of the date both of their stomachs feel full from delicious food and pleasant butterflies. 

Walking along the empty street at night, Daniel tells Jihoon that he can keep the pink and blue shoelaces and that he does not mind much anymore, wearing them mismatched like this.

“Even though at first I thought it looked weird to wear them together, it’s sort of nice how people think that we’re a couple when they see our shoes, don’t you think?” says Daniel softly, gently bumping his shoulder into Jihoon’s as they walk side by side.

“Ah, I liked the mismatched laces from the start.” replies Jihoon, nudging back and explaining, "It’s how I always wear my shoes.” 

“Yeah, I figured.” says Daniel, laughing as he recalls some of the other shoes he had seen the Jihoon wear before.

Jihoon laughs quietly with him before he confides in a soft voice. “But to be honest, when you first approached me, I would have switched immediately if it were anybody else.”

“How come? What did I do to make you hate me?” whines Daniel, looking stricken at the thought that he had offended Jihoon from the start.

“Quite the opposite, actually.” answers Jihoon with a guilty smile. Slowing down and putting a bit of distance between them again, the shorter elaborates “Um, when I went through your Instagram after you messaged me, I thought you were attractive so I decided to make things difficult and keep you around for a while.”

Daniel tries to keep his composure at the reveal but he can’t quite hide his giggles of delight.

Emboldened by Daniel's positive response, Jihoon continues with more confidence. “After we met, I just became more and more reluctant to let you go. Sorry."

“Don’t be. I’m glad you did.” Daniel chuckles and stops abruptly in the middle of the road to lift up his leg. “We should thank these shoes for leading me to you.”

Shuffling over to Jihoon, Daniel stands so that they are facing each other, with his shoes toe-to-toe with the other boy. Both of them pause in the middle of the street to stare at their feet; their complementary shoes with _matching_ mismatched laces.

 _They look good together._

Seemingly satisfied at the comparison, Daniel giggles and moves to withdraw but Jihoon stops him.

“Hmm?” questions Daniel, turning back to look at the other.

Smiling brightly, Jihoon holds up a hand and gestures him back.

“Wait. I want to take a picture of this.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  


Later in the week, Jihoon uploads the picture to his Instagram with a caption.

  


**JiJiJi529**  
[ Couple shoes. For real this time @defdanik ]

  


**Author's Note:**

> me, doing fic research on shoes: who tf wants to pay $20,000 for those omg they’re so ugly /sobs. tbh if these shoes are so limited edition they would cost a lot more than 1 million won but i didn’t want daniel (and jihoon) to go broke lol
> 
> dn and jh’s shoe sizes are based on the fancafe info post 
> 
> big woojin is park woojin since lil woojin is the east light’s woojin
> 
> all i do on instagram is follow verified accounts idk how it works it is a mystery 
> 
> half of this fic is like a cross between a soc med au and an instagram advert i’m sorry idk how this happened
> 
> thanks for reading! ♥


End file.
